Kingdom of the Cursed (Kingdom of the Wicked, 2)

I devoured this in a day and a half, which was a shame as I've been waiting for it for months! We return to find Emilia in the kingdom of the wicked, trying to find her way through the rituals, figure out who to trust and make her own way in this new strange world. It was great to be back in the world! I did wonder why Emilia did some of the things she was doing, but it was a pacy, fun read with great chemistry between the two main characters. Can't wait for the next one.

?️ 4/5 Holy mother of god. Why did Kerri do us dirty and end this book like that?! When is the next book coming out?!!! This book was so good, I legit couldn't put it down, the story was so enticing. I couldn't get enough. So much happened that I was not expecting. It made me mad, frustrated, sad, so many emotions all at once. I absolutely love the dynamics between Emilia and Wrath and I love the slow burn romance. It's different from other books that I have read. At times I was annoyed by how much Emilia dragged the thing about her sister but then that's what makes her real. You just don't forget or get over the loss of a loved one so sudden. This book is sexy and full of sexual tension. I highly recommend it and I think these books are not given the proper recognition they deserve.

Satisfied. Level = VERY. &lt;iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/uioRyvBBbIecJ1PVAl" width="400" height="480" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;<p>&lt;a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/hyperrpg-game-happy-uioRyvBBbIecJ1PVAl"&gt;via GIPHY&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; I have to say, this has been one of my most anticipated books for this year and I was not disappointed. I have listened/read a few other reader reviews/book talks that are out so far (the book was just released); and as always, I respect that we each have our own unique perspectives and I value our individuality with these opinions on books. My opinions are reflected in this review. Non-spoiler review details: I would recommend this book to anyone who: *Read the first book *Loves paranormal themes without any creepy factor *Values a little romance and a touch of spice mixed into the individual journey/fantasy adventure *Craves trying to guess the mysteries unraveling *Does not mind spending most of the book in one locale Would not recommend to the following people: *If you are looking for a YA with zero sexy times, this is not for you b/c there is a clear touch of spice here *If you are looking for a lot of plot movement and/or deep romantic/relationship growth--it's a second book snails pace leading up to a big movement at the very end sort of situation *Can't jive with hetero-normative standards with what is defined as sexual *Are reading this with expectation of spending more time with the family or Italian environment from the first book Things I liked: *I loved spending so much time in the Kingdom of the Cursed/Hell *These characters are so deliciously fun to read and follow along in this story *I love me a good ship/romance I root for--especially when the things I need as a fangirl reader come to pass *I am excited there is some spice here *I like that the author has me worried for what can happen when I am reading but somehow still instills the trust that she will take care of my characters/lead us where we need to go *Loved the growth for my fave characters by the end of the book/set up for the next book. *Provides just the right amount of detail for this reader's imagination without boring me most of the book :) Things I didn't love: *The very beginning of the book dragged just a touch for me--specifically the first ten pages where there was an abundant description of our entrance to Hell realm. I personally just don't love that much description as my imagination is fully ready and I just tend to be more dialogue/character driven. *The ending wasn't quite the best...though I am not entirely hating it either *The princes of hell (Wrath's brothers)--the characters of these royals were blurring together at times with not as much distinct character voice as I anticipated. *At times it seems there are so many b...

Kerri you CANNOT end it like that!!!! You got my heart rate all pounding with anticipation and then BAM book is done. I’m glad a lot of answers were revealed. Getting to meet some of the other Princes was fun. Emilia and Wrath dancing that enemies to lovers line the whole book. Finding out Wrath’s true name. The questions that are left are still pretty huge. What’s up with Emilia’s memory? What EXACTLY happened to her sister? What was with the witch deaths? Does that snippet in the beginning of the book effect what will most assuredly come next in the story? Why does it seem like Gluttony and Envy, maybe even Wrath at times, know who Emilia really is and about her past? Hoping these will all be answered in the next book and sadly we have to wait like another year!

KINGDOM OF THE CURSED by KERRI MANISCALCO is jampacked with wonderfully descript new settings, tit-for-tat sassiness, and sauciness between Emilia &amp; Wrath, a closer look at several of the demon Princes, and wonderful plot twists. Maniscalco's writing is strong, well-paced, and had me racing to get to the end, but also sad it was ending. It is a great addition to the series. Likes: I enjoyed the setting of this story and reading about the different places of the underworld. I enjoyed how each prince is distinctive in dwellings, mannerisms, and character. I look forward to hopefully taking a closer look at more of them in the next book and honestly, I kept thinking that I would love some one-off books about each one. I love Wrath. I love Wrath and Emilia. I love how they progress individually and how they progress together in this book. I think this book did a great job answering questions while also raising new ones to keep the readers interested. I liked learning more about the old lore and the entanglement of witches and demons, the goddesses, and the First Witch. Dislikes: I thought it was a little heavyhanded on the theme of accepting sexual desire as normal and not shameful. I'm absolutely glad that Emilia is learning to break free from those constraints, I just feel like it was mentioned more than it needed to be and after a while, the mentions would take me out of the story. I don't dislike the actual acceptance part. All in all, this was an exciting read, I highly recommend it, and I can't wait for the next one!